[engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recalls
Moderator: Forum Moderators
Forum rules
Before posting a new idea, you must read the following:
Before posting a new idea, you must read the following:
[engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recalls
The problem
The current tool for recall list management is dismissal: permanent removal of the veteran unit from the game.
There are several problems with this:
Remove dismissal of units. In its place, the player should be given the option to hide or show recalls (using a button that will take the place of the dismiss button). The recall dialog should add a checkbox labeled "Show hidden recalls". When the checkbox is unchecked, hidden recalls are not displayed in the recall list. An appropriate WML attribute or event would be included in the save files.
Effect
The change will make hiding recalls a purely interface action, closing exploits and opportunities for bugs. Also, because hiding a recall is not permanent, players will be more willing to use the feature. The only downside I see is that save files might be clogged with useless hidden units, but I think it's a small price to pay.
The current tool for recall list management is dismissal: permanent removal of the veteran unit from the game.
There are several problems with this:
- Because dismissal is permanent, smart players will not dismiss any unit that has any conceivable purpose for being on the recall list. This undermines its usefulness as an interface improvement for the recall list
- Dismissal can be exploited in undermining the intent of that event.Spoiler:
- There is no WML event that fires on dismissal. This means that mechanics that depend on the player having a certain unit on the recall list (including the and the fix to bug #23668) will have unfixable bugs if a (pathological) player dismisses the last applicable unit. It also prevents WML authors from writing workarounds to exploits such as the one mentioned in the previous point.Spoiler:
Remove dismissal of units. In its place, the player should be given the option to hide or show recalls (using a button that will take the place of the dismiss button). The recall dialog should add a checkbox labeled "Show hidden recalls". When the checkbox is unchecked, hidden recalls are not displayed in the recall list. An appropriate WML attribute or event would be included in the save files.
Effect
The change will make hiding recalls a purely interface action, closing exploits and opportunities for bugs. Also, because hiding a recall is not permanent, players will be more willing to use the feature. The only downside I see is that save files might be clogged with useless hidden units, but I think it's a small price to pay.
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
This is a good idea, IMO
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
I don't think I really have any objections to that. There's some conceivable corner cases where the player might be intended to dismiss units as some kind of a mechanic, but it seems unlikely. In any case, making the hiddenness into a unit attribute allows for the same functionality.
The only small worry I'd have is that if somewhere the player gets a huge pile of useless units on their recall list (enough to noticeably impact performance and/or savefile size) for whatever reason, there'd be no way to clear them. I don't know if that can actually happen anywhere.
The only small worry I'd have is that if somewhere the player gets a huge pile of useless units on their recall list (enough to noticeably impact performance and/or savefile size) for whatever reason, there'd be no way to clear them. I don't know if that can actually happen anywhere.
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
I think that any campaign that relies on the user manually deleting thousands of units with a little button, needs to be dramatically redesigned anyways.zookeeper wrote:I don't think I really have any objections to that. There's some conceivable corner cases where the player might be intended to dismiss units as some kind of a mechanic, but it seems unlikely. In any case, making the hiddenness into a unit attribute allows for the same functionality.
The only small worry I'd have is that if somewhere the player gets a huge pile of useless units on their recall list (enough to noticeably impact performance and/or savefile size) for whatever reason, there'd be no way to clear them. I don't know if that can actually happen anywhere.
- Paulomat4
- Moderator Emeritus
- Posts: 730
- Joined: October 16th, 2012, 3:32 pm
- Location: Wesmere library, probably summoning Zhangor
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
I think LOTI has this problem because you get hundreds of walking corpses, but they are deleted automatically after the first 20 or so. As long as it is still possible to delete units from the recall list as add-on creotor this idea seems very goodI don't think I really have any objections to that. There's some conceivable corner cases where the player might be intended to dismiss units as some kind of a mechanic, but it seems unlikely. In any case, making the hiddenness into a unit attribute allows for the same functionality.
The only small worry I'd have is that if somewhere the player gets a huge pile of useless units on their recall list (enough to noticeably impact performance and/or savefile size) for whatever reason, there'd be no way to clear them. I don't know if that can actually happen anywhere.
I think that any campaign that relies on the user manually deleting thousands of units with a little button, needs to be dramatically redesigned anyways.
Creator of Dawn of Thunder and Global Unitmarkers
"I thought Naga's used semi-automatic crossbows with incendiary thermite arrows . . . my beliefs that this race is awesome are now shattered." - Evil Earl
"I thought Naga's used semi-automatic crossbows with incendiary thermite arrows . . . my beliefs that this race is awesome are now shattered." - Evil Earl
-
- Posts: 476
- Joined: February 7th, 2015, 1:27 am
- Location: Germany
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
Immediately thought of LotI as well. But I think an option for the campaign creator to fiddle with the recall list is nessecary anyway.
Under blood-red skies, an old man sits
In the ruins of Carthage - contemplating prophecy.
In the ruins of Carthage - contemplating prophecy.
Re: [engine] Replace dismissal of recalls with hiding recall
The recall list clutters with many L1 units with just 4 or less points of experience too.
Sometimes you don't want them, especially if they are cheaper to recruit than to recall and they have traits you don't want (no quick when you play on 3MP-terrains in cave-missions with elves, etc).
Sometimes I want a favourite-icon for units. Some campaign adds a GEARED-trait to make them more noticeable in the recruit list when it has items (items which are sadly hard to manage (a lot of lag too) btw)
Sometimes you don't want them, especially if they are cheaper to recruit than to recall and they have traits you don't want (no quick when you play on 3MP-terrains in cave-missions with elves, etc).
Sometimes I want a favourite-icon for units. Some campaign adds a GEARED-trait to make them more noticeable in the recruit list when it has items (items which are sadly hard to manage (a lot of lag too) btw)